BRIDES Houston: How to Put a Modern Spin on Classic Traditions, According to Houston's Wedding Experts

You've secured your something blue and have chosen the sweetest, slowest love song for the big dance with your groom. Traditional wedding details like the first dance or cake-cutting rarely go out of style and for many savvy brides-to-be, are cherished customs that make for a memorable knot-tying experience. But what if you're craving a break from classic?

"Classic traditions are what we do in the south, but that doesn't mean you can't make [them] modern," says Michiel Perry, founder of Southern lifestyle and wedding brand, Black Southern Belle. For her wedding, Perry opted to wear a blush-colored ball gown instead of donning a traditional ivory or pure white wedding dress. "I kept the style traditional but with a modern twist."

Ready to shake things up? Below, a bevy of Houston-based bridal experts offer their advice on how to put a modern spin on classic traditions.

Invitations

"We absolutely love a traditional invitation that stands the test of time," says Lily Lasuzzo, owner and creative director of Houston-based bespoke invitation design studio Lavender & Mint. (Read real brides' reviews here!) "But it can be fun to infuse a bit of today's style into the design to give it a more updated look." Lasuzzo notes that stationery trends are mimicking trends in fashion and interior design, meaning they're adopting not only popular colors, but also bold patterns and materials such as Lucite, brass and leather.

"Many of our brides want to have their invitations done in hand calligraphy but still want them to stand out," she says. "Pairing a formal script with a unique print surface or using a variety of materials is different but still very elegant." A recent L&M design project called for an oversized invitation done in hand calligraphy that was printed onto a ¼-inch piece of acrylic, rather than engraved on heavy stock. "We had a custom envelope made and letterpress-printed an illustration of a tree directly onto the interior of the envelope rather than use a solid or tissue liner that might normally be paired with such a formal invitation. The result was absolutely beautiful!"

Flowers

When choosing flowers, it's less about the size and colors of your floral displays right now and more about the style and details of your décor, according to Sheli Hart, lead event designer at custom Houston event design company Flora & Eventi. (Read real brides' reviews here!) "We are noticing a lot of brides opting out of the traditional 'round' or 'mound' style floral and venturing onto designs and styles that show a more architectural, stylized approach. It's about creating personality and texture from within the designs and not just the floral itself."

Venue

Tempted to book the standard chairs and tables that come with the venue? Hart says skip them and instead rent different, visually interesting furniture pieces, tables and chairs to "give the space an elevated and modern look."

When choosing metals — silver, gold or rose gold — she advises to mix it up and let go of the concept of everything matching. "Balance is always the key when modernizing a seemingly traditional style."

"Although [he] may wear a tuxedo for tradition it does not have to be boring," Black Southern Belle's Perry says. "My groom wore a blue velvet tuxedo jacket with a traditional black pants and mixed in some of his modern personality with fleur-de-lis cuff links."